PPT Slide

Flexibility

Performance

1981

Traditional DSP Solution Roadmap

First use of multiple

MAC units

DSP Processors

First Software DSP

1997

2 micron

0.25 micron

Custom ICs

Designer must choose

between flexibility

and performance

In 1981 the first commercially available software programmable device was introduced. Since then the primary goal has been to increase performance. IC process technology provided automatic increases in clock speed but this alone could not keep pace with the growing performance demands.

The next attempt to bolster performance came in 1997 in the form of an additional MAC unit. New software compilers were developed to efficiently utilize this attempt at parallel processing. Aggressive IC process technology increased the clock speed to 200 MHz clock and two MACs to yielded a 400 million MACs per second rating.

But performance needs continued to increase. The only performance option was to sacrifice flexibility for the performance available in custom ICs. Custom ICs continued to benefit from process technology and now have almost unlimited amount of resources. They are limited now only by development time and cost.